Dementia describes different brain disorders that trigger a loss of brain function. These conditions are all usually progressive and eventually severe.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting 62 per cent of those diagnosed.

Other types of dementia include; vascular dementia affecting 17 per cent of those diagnosed, mixed dementia affecting 10 per cent of those diagnosed.

Memory loss and other symptoms of dementia

While symptoms of dementia can vary greatly, at least two of the following core mental functions must be significantly impaired to be considered dementia:

• Memory
• Communication and language
• Ability to focus and pay attention
• Reasoning and judgment
• Visual perception

People with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, keeping track of a purse or wallet, paying bills, planning and preparing meals, remembering appointments or traveling out of the neighborhood.

Many dementias are progressive, meaning symptoms start out slowly and gradually get worse. If you or someone you know is experiencing memory difficulties or other changes in thinking skills, don’t ignore them. See a doctor soon to determine the cause. Professional evaluation may detect a treatable condition. And even if symptoms suggest dementia, early diagnosis allows a person to get the maximum benefit from available treatments and provides an opportunity to volunteer for clinical trials or studies. It also provides time to plan for the future.

Councils tightening their home care criteria means fewer older people receive home care.

A report titled, Behind the Headlines – the battle to get care at home, found that the average spend per adult on social care had fallen by 13 per cent, from £439 to £379 between 2009/10 and 2016/17. During the same time period, the charity state that around 400,000 fewer older people were able to receive care, as councils tightened the eligibility criteria.

More and more people are being diagnosed with dementia which makes it one of the greatest health issues of our time.

How dementia affects relationships

A diagnosis of dementia can change the dynamics of a relationship. The person with dementia may become more dependent on their partner or children for example. This may be particularly challenging due to the way it changes the roles and relationships within the family. The family may also become less open about dementia and the effects it is having not just amongst themselves, but with friends too. These relationships can further become strained as the person with dementia may start to lose memories, have a change in personality or behaviour and ability to communicate. There is however support available to families to help them face the difficulties they may experience due to the effects of dementia.

Ways to improve family connection

Dementia is a progressive condition and the way it presents in people can be complex and unpredictable. Families need to understand that they are never alone in living with dementia and there is always someone they can turn to.

To read more visit Health Awareness website

Care training benefits Everycare West Kent care team

We are pleased that our training scheme in conjunction with Hospice in the Weald has now been running successfully for six months and has been producing excellent results. We feel this training is of great long term benefit to our care team. We look forward to working closely with the Hospice in the Weald scheme in the future.

Almost 100 MPs have called on Theresa May to establish a cross-party commission to address the crisis in the NHS and in social care.

A letter sent to the Prime Minister calls for a parliamentary commission and signatories include 21 select committee chairmen and 30 former ministers.

The move is an attempt to break the “political deadlock” that has blocked repeated attempts to determine how to organise and fund services to cope with Britain’s ageing population.

The MPs say they are “seriously worried” the Government’s promised green paper on social care will fail to make progress and instead called for an approach examining the system as a whole.

Health Select Committee chairwoman Sarah Wollaston said: “We call on the Government to act with urgency and to take a whole system approach to the funding of the NHS, social care and public health.

“On behalf of all those who rely on services, we need to break down the political barriers and to agree a way forward.”